GPhC issues warning to superintendent pharmacist of Jhoots Healthcare Ltd

Miss Dilsha Kiran Shah faces consequences for breaching Medicines Act 1968 at two Jhoots' branches as per the GphC standards

The General Pharmaceutical Council's Investigating Committee took decisive action on March 25, 2024, by issuing a warning to Dilsha Kiran Shah, registration number: 2049787, for her conduct as Superintendent Pharmacist of Jhoots Healthcare Ltd.

Miss Shah's failure to uphold the Medicines Act 1968, specifically in ensuring the proper management of medicinal products, triggered this warning.

The Act mandates supervision in "keeping, preparing, and dispensing medicinal products other than those on a general sale list."

Moreover, pharmacies are inspected on five principles – Governance, Staff, Premises, Services including medicines management, and Equipment and facilities to meet the right standards.

The alarm was initially raised in August 2021 when a Jhoots Healthcare Ltd pharmacy branch under Miss Shah's supervision operated without a responsible pharmacist.

Despite explicit instructions, pharmacy staff were allegedly instructed to proceed without proper supervision, raising grave concerns regarding patient safety.

Confirming the severity of the situation, the General Pharmaceutical Council's assessment team, in August 2021, underscored through a letter the unreasonable risk posed to patients due to the absence of a responsible pharmacist(RP).

On May 26, 2022, another branch violated regulations, prompting the GPhC assessment team to cite further breaches of professional standards. These included lapses in professional judgment, behavior, and leadership under section 5, 6 and 9, respectively.

According to the regulatory council, Miss Shah "had failed to ensure that the pharmacies she was accountable for as Superintendent were only dispensing or supplying prescription only medicines when a responsible pharmacist was in attendance and/or had failed to ensure that pharmacy staff were not directed to continue dispensing or supplying when a responsible pharmacist was not in attendance."

The warning, slated for publication on the GPhC register until March 25, 2025, mandates Miss Shah to ensure strict adherence to regulations in all pharmacies under her supervision. Failure to comply could lead to further regulatory intervention.

Furthermore, the Committee's decision underscores the gravity of the situation by mandating a 12-month publication period for the warning.

In 2023, Jhoots Pharmacy secured 36 new community pharmacies with a £17.4 million investment from HSBC UK adding to the previously owned and operated tally of 62 branches across the UK.